God of War: Remnant
by Fenris Erebus
Summary: Residing in a new realm, Kratos faces new challenges. From defending his home from Grimm and teaching the next generation of Hunters to being a good father to his two daughters, Yang and Ruby, and trying to have a normal life. The formal God of War has been given a second chance, and he intends on doing it right this time.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own God of War or RWBY**. **Let me know what you think and please enjoy**

"My vengeance ends now," Kratos said as he glared daggers at Athena.

"You would strike me down? Again?" Athena looked on in horror as Kratos gripped the hilt of the all-powerful Blade of Olympus and hoisted it up over his right shoulder. "How could you?!"

With a growl, Kratos charged the weapon and swung it toward Athena, but to the Goddess' surprise, he purposely missed her and angled the blade toward himself! She held out her hand in disbelief and shock as the Spartan plunged the blade deep into his torso. "You... You fool! What have you done?"

Kratos hunched over the weapon for a moment then was lifted into the air by an unseen force. A bright pillar of light shot from his body and into the sky. "No," Athena shouted angrily. There was an explosion and soon after the entire darkened sky lit up with light. pecks of light began slowly drifting down around them like snow as Kratos descended to the ground where he fell to his knees.

"That was meant for me," an enraged Athena shouted, referring to the power of Hope that Kratos had just released to their ruined world. "They will not know what to do with it." Becoming even angrier at the Spartan's lack of a response, she floated toward him and gripped his head. She yanked it back and looked him in the eyes before gripping the Olympus Blade. "You disappoint me, Spartan," Athena said as Kratos grunted in both pain and defiance. With one smooth motion, the Goddess removed the blade from Kratos and tossed it aside.

Athena turned her back on the God of War who stumbled on his knees while his gaping wound bled profusely, painting the area around him in crimson red! He chuckled as he slowly crumbled onto his back; his breath began to grow more ragged and faint as his life began to dim. There were no words. No regrets. He had finally forgiven himself for what he had done and in doing so had finally found peace. It was the end he had been looking for. Finally, the Ghost of Sparta could lay to rest. Or so he thought.

Something inside Kratos began shouting at him to get up. That it wasn't yet over. This wasn't how he was supposed to die. His eyes slowly opened and his body began to move, all seemingly on their own. But why? He was ready to finally accept his end. What was causing him to keep living? Hadn't he been through enough already? All he wanted was to finally rest! But, was that what he _really _wanted? His mind weakly whispered yes but his body, no, his very being shouted no! He pulled himself up and back to his feet. His opened wound, which had begun healing to his surprise, still bled a great deal and left a crimson trail as he started to stumble forward. His legs shakingly move on their own accord as they carried his beaten bloodied body toward the edge of the cliff he was on. He reached down and weakly grabbed the chains of his Blades of Chaos as he stumbled by and dragged them along. It took a bit to reach, but eventually, Kratos found himself peering over the edge of the cliff down into the raging waters below.

A flashback of the time where he had once attempted to take his own life this very same way ran through his mind. Was this how it was to end? To plunge himself into the endless depths of the ocean so that the monsters who resided there could feast on his flesh? Whatever, it didn't matter to him. All he wanted was peace. So, with no hesitation, he closed his eyes and stepped off the cliff's edge. As he plummeted toward the raging murky waters below a blindingly bright light filled his darkened vision and he felt his body become lighter than a feather. It was now like he was floating instead of falling and even with his eyes closed, his vision was still filled with the blinding bright light though now it was starting to dim down.

His once sealed eyes slowly began to open and Kratos, much older now, found himself on another cliff overlooking an ocean with a dimly lit orange sun sinking behind it. He sighed deeply, not remembering the last time he had that memory when he felt a small tug on his hand. He looked down to see a small, dark redhead girl with silver-colored eyes looking up into his hazel brown ones. "What is it Mikros." His voice was deeper and sounded older than before.

"Daddy, are you alright," she asked in a small voice.

Kratos gave a small chuckle and nodded. "Yes, I am fine. Just a distant memory is all." He looks down in front of him and sees a headstone that ready _'Summer Rose'_. " Have you paid your respects?"

The young girl nodded and looked down at the grave. "Do you think mommy is watching over us now?"

Kratos sighed and said, "I'm not sure Ruby. But, if that is what gives you strength, then believe in it." The young girl nodded and gave a little sniffle as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Come now, no more crying. Its time we returned home. I don't trust that Uncle of yours alone with your sister. Gods only know what kind of trouble they're getting in."

The young girl reached up and took her father's hand as he turned and led her away from the grave. The setting sun fully sank below the ocean which allowed an infinite amount of bright shining stars to take its place.

**(11 years later)**

Kratos entered through the double doors that led to the Vale Police Department and headed down the hallway as he had been instructed to do. He had gotten a message from the department about his 15-year-old daughter, Ruby, being held there. From what he had heard, she had stopped a robbery but was also in a small bit of trouble. He came upon a metal door that led into an interrogation room and heard a familiar voice speaking. With a grunt, he opened the door and stepped through to find Ruby sitting in a chair and the blonde secretary of Beacon Academy's headmaster, Glynda, giving her a talking to. When they noticed him, Glynda became silent like a mouse and Ruby tried her best to sink into the chair.

"What happened," Kratos asked though with the weight of his voice it sounded more of a demand.

Ruby gave a sheepish smile and nervously waved at her father. "Uhh, hi dad. I bet you're wondering what happened."

"That was the question I asked."

"Err, ummm, well you see there was this robbery and I may have kinda..."

"She destroyed the shop window, got into a street fight which led to numerous injuries, and then gave a reckless chase after Roman Torchwick."

Kratos gave his daughter a disapproving look which caused the girl to hang her head low. "While I understand and approve of your wanting to help others, you still have much to learn Mikros." He beckoned for her to come along and sais, "We're going home."

But, as Kratos turned to leave, the door opened and in walked the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Ozpin. "Leaving already Kratos?"

"Ozpin. How did I guess you'd be here."

"It's nice to see you again. I trust you are doing well," Ozpin asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"As well as one could be."

Ozpin chuckled in response before turning his attention in Ruby. "And this must be your daughter, Ms. Ruby Rose."

"H...hi," Ruby waved nervously.

"You remind me so much of your mother."

"Why are you here," Kratos asked.

"Ah, a very good question which will be answered with another question." He turned his attention to Ruby and asked, "Ms. Rose, do you know who I am?"

Ruby looked up at her father and when she didn't see him stop her answering she said, "You're Ozpin. The headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Ruby responded with a smile.

"Let me ask you something, if I may?" Ozpin looked at Kratos for approval. The former God of War grunted and crossed his arms. Taking it as a sign to _'go-ahead' _Ozpin asked, "Do you wish to become a Huntress?"

An excited gleam flared up in Ruby's eyes as she said, "More than anything! I've always dreamed of becoming a Huntress ever since I was a little girl!"

Ozpin chuckled and asked, "Well, what would you say if I told you that I wanted you to come to my school?"

Ruby eeped with excitement. She was practically floating through the air as sparkles gleamed around her body. "Oh, that would be wonderful! I'd say..."

"Absolutely not," Kratos interrupted.

"Huh?" The sudden rejection from her father dissipated the sparkles and gleam from Ruby. "But, dad, why not?"

"Because I am not looking to give away both of my children to a dying cause." Kratos learned of the Huntsmen and their fight against the Grimm shortly after arriving on Remnant and could immediately see that the Huntsmen were failing. So why didn't he help? Because he felt that it wasn't his fight. On top of that, he wasn't that much of a fighter anymore. Sure he trained his daughters how to defend themselves and encouraged them to get stronger so that they wouldn't be helpless if he wasn't around. But, other than that, he gave up on fighting shortly after arriving on Remnant. He even stored his Blades of Chaos somewhere hidden out of sight, out of mind.

Ozpin sighed and looked at Glynda. "Ms. Goodwitch, would you and Ms. Rose give us a minute?"

"Of course Professor. Come along Ruby," Glynda beckoned for the young girl to follow her.

Ruby looks at her father first before following behind the older woman. When the door shuts, she says, "It's not fair. Yang gets to go to Beacon Academy. Why can't I?"

"Well, you_ are_ much younger than your sister. She also graduated from Signal Academy and got accepted like everyone else." Ruby sighed and leaned against the wall. The older woman was, of course, right after all. Besides, now that she thought about it, would it be a good idea for her to go to a school where she knew no one? Where everyone was older and more experienced than her? She would be leaving all her friends behind if she went to Beacon.

When the door closed Ozpin sighed and said, "I understand your concern, Kratos. I do. But..."

"You understand nothing so do not act as you do."

"I understand more than you think," Ozpin said under his breath. He cleared his throat and continued. "You and I both know the potential that Ruby has to become a great Huntress as does Yang."

"I know of their potential. But, Ruby is far too naive and Yang lacks discipline. Both of which are dangerous traits to have on the battlefield."

"And I agree wholeheartedly."

"Then you will agree when I say that Ruby is not ready." With that Kratos walked past Ozpin and grabbed the door handle.

"And that is where you come in."

Kratos stopped and turned his head toward Ozpin. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I wanted to offer a second proposition. You come to Beacon, with Ruby, and help train the new Hunters."

"I no longer fight."

"I'm not asking you to. All I'm asking is for you to teach them to defend themselves. Nothing more."

"And what makes you think I want to train a bunch of unorganized, undisciplined, brats?"

Ozpin gave a small chuckle and placed a hand on the former God's shoulder. "Because whether we like it or not, Kratos, those brats are our future. We won't be around forever you and I. Someday, our generation of Huntsman will be gone and this new generation will be the ones to take up the mantle. They, I feel, will be the ones who put an end to the Grimm and save our world. All they need is a little push in the right direction.

With that, Ozpin removed his hand and walked past Kratos to open the door but stopped when Kratos asked, "When do we leave?"

Ozpin turned his head and flashed a small victorious grin before saying, "I'll send you the details." He opened the door and walked out of the room. "Have a good evening Ms. Rose, and do stay out of trouble. Ms. Goodwitch, let us be off."

"At once Professor. Good night Ruby. Kratos." The woman turned and quickly followed behind Ozpin without another word.

Ruby looked up at her father and asked, "So, what did you two talk about?"

Kratos gave a small grunt in response. He knew he had fallen into Ozpin's plan like a fly to a spider's web. But, he wasn't dumb. He knew Ozpin was keeping secrets of his own, he couldn't judge him for that of course and knew he wanted Ruby at his school for a reason. But why, Kratos didn't know. He was certain of one thing though. The Headmaster was right. He wouldn't be around forever and didn't want his daughters to rely too heavily on his strength. He had always encouraged them to grow stronger so that they may one day not need him anymore. He looked down at his daughter and said, "Pack your things Mikros. You are going to Beacon."

**Alright, this concludes the first chapter for God of War: Remnant. Let me know what you think and hope you enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, so my laptop crapped out on me so I've had to restart this chapter. With that said, I hope you all enjoy. Also, to address Kratos calling Ruby "Mikros" while Ozpin is calling her "Ruby", Mikros is Greek for Little One. So, there ya go. (P.s. I also went back and edited the last bit of chapter 1 so be sure to go back and check it out before moving forward.)**

**(A few days later)**

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me," an excited, black-haired girl shouted while smothering Ruby, her sister, with a hug. The girl was tall, standing around 5'8, had long black hair, hazel-amber colored eyes with a long scar going down the left one with two smaller scars on either side, had a pale complexion and muscles that complimented her figure.

"Pweash shtoph," a worn-out Ruby mumbled.

"What's the matter? Aren't you excited," the girl asked.

"Of course I'm excited, Yang, but...I got moved ahead two whole years and I'm going to a new place where I don't know anyone. It's just a lot of pressure ya know?"

Yang walked up to her younger sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it, sis. We'ver been training for this our whole lives. We're ready."

"Dad didn't seem to think so," Ruby said as she winced at her sore muscles. "It feels like I've been put through a meat grinder."

"Yeah, dad's sparring sessions _can _be a bit rough, but stop worrying about what he thinks," Yang said, waving her hand in the air. "He isn't here now. It's just us two so let's make the most of it ok?" Ruby groaned in response and nodded her head. However, neither of the two expected their father to be waiting at Beacon."

Kratos stood outside the tall tower of Beacon Academy, having just arrived not long ago. With a grunt, he walked through the double automatic doors and up to a lady who was sitting behind a desk. "Hello," she greeted him with a kind smile. "How may I help you?"

"I'm here to see Ozpin."

"Ok, and may I ask your name please," She asked as she began typing on a keyboard.

"Kratos."

The woman gave a small nod as she continued to type. After a few seconds, she said, "Oh, looks like you're expected." She looked back at him with another kind smile. "Please take the elevator on my right. Top floor. Professor Ozpin will be waiting for you."

"Thank you," Kratos said and proceeded to the waiting elevator. He stepped inside the small room and pressed the button to the top floor. The doors closed and the room ascended quickly before coming to a stop. The double doors opened and Kratos stepped out into another, much bigger, room. At first, it looked pretty plain but then Kratos noticed the numerous cogs that filled the seemingly neverending ceiling. The massive window that Ozpin was standing at had clock hands that ticked every minute. It was like being in an actual clock tower.

Ozpin turned upon hearing the elevator doors open and said, "Ahh, Kratos. I've been expecting you."

"So I've heard," Kratos said as he walked further into the room until he was standing at Ozpin's desk.

"I'm happy that you decided to take me up on my offer. We could use your help around..."

"I am not here to help you. I am here to do a job and look after my daughters to ensure that they get properly trained."

"And the other students?"

"Everyone will be treated the same regardless of who they are."

"That's good to hear."

The elevator doors opened and inside the small room was Glynda holding her pad. "Professor Ozpin, the airships are arriving." She glanced at Kratos and gave an acknowledging nod which was returned in kind.

"Thank you Ms. Goodwitch." Ozpin grabbed his cane and his mug and headed toward the elevator. "Kratos, would you like to accompany us to the Ceremony Hall? We will be greeting the students."

"I will pass. I'd rather Yang and Ruby not know I'm here just yet." Ozpin responded with a questioning, "Oh?" which Kratos responded with "I wish to see how they will do tomorrow without knowing that I am watching."

"Very well. I trust you remember your way around?" Kratos nodded and with that, Ozpin bid him farewell. The elevator doors closed and the former God was left with his thoughts.

He turned to the massive window and walked to it to peer out over the academy. It didn't look all that different from the last time he was here. It was when he first met Summer and Raven, Yang's mother. They had been part of a team with two others, Taiyang, one of Ruby's teachers at Signal, and another man named Qrow, the girl's uncle and Raven's brother. They had been the ones to find Kratos when he arrived in this new land and, after some time, he had grown "fond" of them. Raven was the one who taught him everything about Aura and the Grimm while Summer taught him about the history and the strange technology of this land. He had gotten together with Raven about eleven or so years later and not long after they had Yang. But, Raven was not ready to be a mother and soon left both of them. sometime later, about a year, he and Summer married and had Ruby. It was shaping up to be a normal life for Kratos; until Ozpin sent her on a mission by herself and never returned.

Though it was Ozpin who sent her on the mission that led to her death, Kratos held no animosity toward the Headmaster. In his earlier years, he might have, no, he would have killed Ozpin and placed his head on a pike. Then he would have exercised his title of God of War and brought hell upon all who were involved or suspected to be. But, he had two daughters to take care of and for the first time a purpose other than blinding vengeance. So he vowed to train them and help them grow strong.

Kratos was pulled from his memories when he saw three huge airships landing at the platforms and hundreds of students flooding out of them. He knew his daughters were among them and not long from now they would be undertaking a difficult task, the Initiation. There, he would find out whether or not they were truly ready to be Huntresses.

**Welp, here's chapter 2. I know these chapters are short, but that's kind of how I'm going to keep them for now unless there's a big scene happening like a fight scene or something like that. This will allow me to post more chapters in quicker succession assuming the computer I'm using now doesn't die too. Chapter 3 will be going through the entire Initiation so that we can get it out of the way.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to chapter 3 of GoW: Remnant. Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and are looking forward to future ones. One thing I'd like to address that I didn't in the last chapter would be Kratos' ago. He's about 22 years older than when the story started. He's not as old as he is in God of war 4, but he does look older than God of War 3 Kratos. He also has his full beard as well.**

The following morning, Kratos stood standing at his window and observing the aurora as he habitually did. He arose hours ago and commenced his usual routine which consisted of him doing light exercises and walking around his house, only this time it was an entire Academy that he had patrolled. It enabled him to get to know the grounds again and memorize every aspect of the building including The Cliff where the new students would commence with their initiation. A knock on his room door got his attention and he turned his head toward it. "Enter."

The door opened and in walked Ozpin with his coffee mug in one hand and his cane in the other. "Good morning Kratos. I trust that you slept well?"

"About as well as one can." Kratos turned his entire frame toward Ozpin and crossed his arms. "I assume there's a reason you are bothering me?"

Ozpin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Look, I understand the aversion you have for me. But I ask that we try and be professional with one another."

"I've no feud with you Ozpin, I just do not trust you with the lives of my daughters is all."

"What happened with Summer was not my fault."

The air in the room suddenly grew heavy. Kratos glared down at Ozpin and said, "You wish to keep things civil and professional?" He took a threatening step toward the Headmaster who had no choice but to retreat slightly. "Never use Summer's name again."

A few tense seconds passed before Ozpin finally nodded his head and cleared his throat. "Well, the Initiates are getting ready. I trust you know your way to the Cliff?"

Kratos grunted and turned away from him. Taking it as his cue to leave, Ozpin gave a small bow of the head and exited the room. Kratos turned his head toward the closing door and gave another grunt. After a few minutes to regain his composure, he strapped on his boots and tightened his leather and fur shoulder guard before exiting the room and making his way to the Cliff.

**(Meanwhile)**

Ruby and Yang were in the locker rooms getting ready for the upcoming. "So, you seem chippy this morning," Yang said with a smirk and crossed arms.

"Yep. That's because today is the day that I get to show off my baby." Ruby grabbed her weapon and cradled it in her arms. "No more introductions or awkward silences."

Yang chuckled at her sister's antics and said, "Just remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation today. If you're going to," she stiffened up and puffed out her chest to mock her father, "_grow up and become mature_, you're going to have to get to know people."

"Ugh, you sound just like dad!"

"That was the point of the voice."

"First off, what does meeting people have to do with fighting and secondly, I don't need to meet people to grow up and mature. I DRINK MILK!" She then comically sizes her self up and gropes her chest. "Besides, I've grown at least an inch."

"You've still got a ways to go kiddo," Yang said, dashing the young girl's comical mood. She then leaned in and whispered, "But hey, at least you're not flat as a board like that uptight Schnee."

"I heard that," a white-haired girl, Weiss, shouted from across the locker room.

"Well, I wasn't trying to keep quiet about it!"

"This is ridiculous," a blonde-haired boy, Jaune, shouted as he walked by Ruby and Yang. "I know I didn't put my gear in locker 636. I would've remembered having to count that high."

"So, have you guys heard about the new instructor we're supposed to be getting," one student, a spiky black-haired kid, asked.

"A new instructor? You mean Ms. Goodwitch will not be training us," a red-headed girl, Pyrrha, asked.

"I heard this guy is an old grumpy bastard." a big, orange-haired boy, Cardin, said with a smirk.

"I heard he ripped an Ursa in half with his bare hands," another random student said.

"Old, grumpy, AND has ripped an Ursa in half? You don't think he's talking about dad do you," Yang asked.

Ruby shook her head and said, "You know how dad feels about Professor Ozpin after mom died. He wouldn't come anywhere near here." Yang hesitated for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and accepting the answer. A voice then came over the intercom, asking for all Initiates to report to the Cliff.

"Well little sis, let's go out there with a...Yang," she said with a cheeky grin.

Ruby groaned and said, "You've _got _to stop with those. Or at least come up with better ones."

**(Transition)**

The Initiates gathered at the edge of the Cliff as Ozpin got ready to explain to them what they would be doing. Kratos was there hiding away from sight as he wanted to see how his daughters would do if they assumed he wasn't watching. He wanted to see if they were ready. Ozpin took a moment to explain what it was they would be doing, which was finding relics. Partners were also determined by the first person whose eyes yours locked with. After that, the Initiates were launched one by one until only Glynda and Ozpin remained. Kratos stepped out of hiding and stood next to Ozpin and was given a scroll to watch the students progress. It was time for the Initiation to begin.

Kratos watched on the Scroll the children as they flew through the air and landed in various and unique ways. Ruby hit a bird and shouted, "Birdy no," which earned a roll of the eyes from her father. She then fired three rounds before using her weapon to swing off a branch. "A waste of ammo," Kratos mumbled. Next up was Weiss followed by Ren and so on all of whom were being secretly being evaluated by the former God. "All Initiates have successfully landed Professor."

"Good. Now, let's see what our future students can do." With that, the three watched on Scrolls as the Initiates trudged through the dense forest.

**Alright, so I know I said I'd just do the whole Initiation in one chapter, but honestly, I felt this was a good stopping point for this chapter. The next chapter though will be the Initiation so look forward to that. Thank you all for reading and I hope ya enjoyed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 4 of God of War: Remnant. I'm happy to see that a lot of you seemed to enjoy the last chapter so let's keep this train going. As for the person who told me that Mikros mean Little Boy in Greek, I looked it up and everything I've found points to it meaning little one, small, petite, etc. so if someone can maybe confirm this then that would be appreciated.**

"Birdy no!" Those were the words of Kratos' younger daughter as she flew through the air and the bird. Kratos' reaction was to pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh. He watched as Ruby fired off several rounds to slow her descent before using her scythe to swing off a branch. She was followed by Weiss, a black-haired boy in a green outfit, his eldest daughter Yang who, to his annoyance, showed off, Pyrrha who ended up having to save Jaune with a throw of her weapon which Kratos admitted to himself was quite impressive, an orange-haired hammer-wielding girl, and a black-haired girl who wore a black bow on her head.

"All of the Initiates have successfully landed," Glynda stated, earning a nod from Ozpin. He grabbed a Scroll and watched as he sipped on his coffee.

Ruby hit the ground running, mumbling to herself that she had to find Yang which eventually turned to her calling out her name. "What are you doing," Kratos mumbled, referring to how she was blindly running and shouting without knowing if there were any Grimm in the area. Ruby eventually skidded to a halt and locked eyes with the Schnee who turned her nose away from her and walked away. "Who is the pampered brat," Kratos asked.

"Hmm? Oh, that would be Weiss Schnee. She is the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Corporation in Atlas. I'm sure you remember them," Glynda said.

"I remember them trying to buy me for protection against Faunus."

"Do you remember how embarrassed the President, Jacques, was when you declined his offer? When you laughed in his face in front of all of Atlas," Ozpin asked.

"I do not concern myself with such trivial as that."

"Well, he remembers. All of Atlas remembers, and I am constantly being reminded."

"That sounds like your problem." Kratos ended the conversation and continued to watch as Weiss came back to Ruby and began dragging her along, apparently having chosen to partner up with her rather than the boy stuck in a tree. "Who is this? The clumsy blonde-haired boy?"

"That would be Jaune Arc. Though I have my suspicions about him and his abilities, his paperwork was in order," Glynda explained. "And there, partnering up with him, would be Pyrrha Nikos. She's a bit of a celebrity. It's a shame the poor girl is being partnered with that boy."

"I care not for her social standings nor who any of them are partnered with. They will all be treated and trained equally." A roar over the Scroll's mic caught Krato's attention and he was greeted to the sight of multiple Beowolves surrounding Weiss. "And this is what happens when you're not paying attention. Now, the big question is, how will you get out of this?"

**(Meanwhile)**

Yang walked through the Emerald Forest, calling out to anyone who could hear her. "Come on, I'm getting kinda bored here!" She then heard rustling coming from a nearby bush and she eagerly investigated it. "Ruby?" A low growl answered her question and she said, "Nope," before dodging to the side away from an angry Ursa. She recovered and readied herself only to have to backflip away from a second charging Ursa. The two Grimm stood side-by-side and growling hungrily at the black-haired girl. "Well, let's not just stand around here," she smirked. "Which one of you is first?" The second Ursa growled and charged her only to receive a powerful punch to the stomach. The attack blew the Grimm past the first Ursa who charged in only to receive an uppercut. A follow-up attack led to Yang spinning in the air and kicking the Ursa in the chest. It was sent flying and as Yang landed, she immediately had to backflip away from the second Ursa who raked its razor-sharp claws through the air, narrowly missing her. She recovered and smirked. "Heh, is that all you guys have? Come on now, I was hoping for a chal...lenge," She trailed off as she witnessed a strand of black hair floating to the ground.

Yang angrily clenched her hands into fists as heatwaves rose from her body. "You..." she angrily whispered. The two Ursa looked at each other in confusion which turned to startlement when the girl exploded. "You bastards!" Flames licked from her fists and traveled up her arms as her hair levitated and her eyes turned fiery red. In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of the first Ursa and punched it. With her flame enhanced fists, her punch incinerated the upper half of the Ursa. The other Grimm looked surprised and took a few steps back from the enraged girl. Yang glared at it and shouted, "Where do you think you're going?"

The Ursa growled and readied itself when something hit it in the back of the head. With a weak whine, it fell to the grown, revealing a blade sticking out of its head. The blade was attached to a ribbon which led to the black-haired girl, Blake who smirked. "I had it under control," Yang said before she suddenly, and violently, began coughing.

"Are you alright," Blake asked as she helped the girl sit down under a nearby tree.

Yang nodded and replied, "Yeah, sorry, it's my Semblance. It gives me a massive increase in pretty much everything from speed to durability, but the pay off isn't so good."

"I can tell. Perhaps it would be best if you refrained from using it for now," Blake responded with an outstretched hand. Yang nodded with a grin and took the girl's hand and let herself be hoisted to her feet. With that, they continued with their Initiation.

**(Meanwhile)**

Glynda walked up behind Kratos and Ozpin and said, "Our last pair has been formed. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren." She switched to the camera showing Nora and Ren and said, "Poor boy. I can't possibly see those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Pyrrha Nikos." She switched her feed over to the two and said, "I don't care what his transcript says, this level of combat is far too much for Jaune."

"Something we can agree on it seems," Kratos said as he switched his feed over to Ruby and Weiss who were debating which way to go. Well, sort of at least. Weiss was walking back and forth, going in every direction only to stop and second guess herself, while Ruby just sat on the ground and fiddled with a leaf. "What are you doing Mikros," He mumbled to himself. "Stop waiting around for someone else to decide for you." She eventually stood up and began arguing with the Heiress which ended in the Schnee walking away and his daughter looking sadly to the ground. Perhaps she wasn't ready for this after all. She was only fifteen years old trying to fit in with those who were older and more experienced than she was. He should never have agreed to let her come to Beacon. He watched as she perked herself up and followed after the white-haired girl before moving on to observe someone else.

**(Meanwhile)**

Yang and Blake came upon the Forest Temple and saw that no one else was there. "Think this is it," Yang asked Blake who didn't answer. Instead, she walked down the hill they were on and toward the broken temple with Yang following behind.

While Yang was examining one of the broken columns, Blake looked at the pedestals and picked up one of the artifacts. "Chess pieces?"

"Yeah, and it looks like we weren't the first ones here. Some of them are missing."

Blake looked around and saw she was right. "Well, I guess we should pick one then."

Yang examined the pieces before picking up a golden Knight piece. "How about a cute little pony?"

Blake rolled her eyes and said, "Sure," with a small smirk on her face.

The two gathered at the center and Yang said, "Well, that wasn't too hard. But, I wonder where everyone else is."

"We probably landed closer than the others. I mean it's not like this place is hard to find."

Meanwhile, Jaune and Pyrrha were coming upon a glowing floating object to which Jaune immediately exclaimed, "The relic!" He reached up to grab it only to have it move out of his reach. "Hey, stay still relic!"

"Uhh, Jaune, I don't think that's the relic," Pyrrha said, getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Of course this is the relic Pyrrha. We just...gotta...get it. Aha, gotcha," Jaune shouted triumphantly after having finally grabbed hold of the object. He was then lifted and pulled closer to a form which was lit up by red marking and multiple beady eyes.

A loud girly scream echoed throughout the forest. Yang and Blake turned in the direction of the scream and Yang said, "Some girl is in trouble. Blake, did you hear that?" Blake didn't answer her as she was more preoccupied with what was above them.

Pyrrha rushed out of the cave with a giant angry scorpion Grimm right on her heels and hanging from the stinger of said Grimm was a screaming Jaune. "Pyrrha, this is not the relic! It's not! Please do something!"

"Whatever you do, don't let..." Before she could finish her statement, the Grimm whipped its tail and flung Jaune through the air and out of sight. She turned back to the Grimm which hissed angrily at her before nervously scratching the back of her head and retreating.

**(Transition)**

"Blake, did you hear that? We've got to do something," Yang said and when she got no reply, she turned toward her partner and said, "Blake?" She saw her looking up and followed her gaze to find Ruby following from the sky. "Ruby!? Hold on little sis, I've gotcha!" Yang readied herself to catch her younger sister only for a body to come sailing through the air and smack right into Ruby, sending both her and said body into the trees.

Ruby, after recovering asked, "What was that?"

"Ahem," Ruby looked up to see Jaune hanging upside down from a branch. "Hey, Ruby. Long-time no see."

"Ehh, did Ruby just fall from the sky," Blake asked but before she could get an answer they hear roaring which was followed by laughter and someone shout, "Yee-haw!" An Ursa came stomping out of the forest before giving a death cry and falling to the ground. From its back rolled the orange-haired girl, Nora and following behind her, though out of breath, was Ren.

"Awe, it's broke," Nora said sadly as Ren stopped to catch his breath.

"Nora...please...don't ever do that again." He looked up and saw she had vanished. "Err, where'd you go?"

"I'm Queen of the castle, I'm Queen of the castle," Nora sang while holding onto the golden rook piece.

"Nora!"

"Hehe, coming Ren."

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa," Blake asked.

Again, before Blake could get an answer, a loud screech echoed through the forest. Pyrrha came running out of the tree line and was being closely followed by the scorpion Grimm. "Jaune!"

"Pyrrha, I'm up here! I'm stuck...in a tree...again..."

**(Meanwhile)**

Kratos watched the scene play out starting from when his youngest daughter fell from the sky and was hit by Jaune. "What is going on now?"

"It would appear that everyone is finally coming together," Ozpin said.

"I meant, why did my daughter just fall from the sky, why did this crazy Nora girl come in on an Ursa and what is that thing following Pyrrha?"

"Your daughter thought it would be a good idea to ride on the back of a Giant Nevermore, Nora is, as you said, crazy, and that appears to be a Death Stalker. A very old one at that," Glynda answered.

"And why was no one informed of a Death Stalker in the area?"

"Because we didn't even know about it," Ozpin said. "Emerald Forest is a big place and as Glynda pointed out, that Death Stalker is old and appears to have been here for some time."

"Speaking of which, Professor Ozpin should we pull them? We weren't expecting a Grimm of this magnitude. They might not be ready for this level of battle," Glynda said.

But before Ozpin could answer her, Kratos stated, "No."

"I'm sorry?"

"I said no. I wish to see how my daughters, and the others, handle themselves when faced with a powerful adversary."

Ozpin nodded and said, "Very well. Glynda, have a team on stand by just in case."

"At once sir," Glynda said before giving Kratos a dirty look and hurrying away.

Kratos ignored her and watched with hidden anxiety as Ruby rushed in to fight the Death Stalker head-on. _"No! Fall back Ruby, you're weapon will not pierce that Grimm's armor."_ She, for obvious reasons, can't hear his thoughts and gets swatted away by one of the Grimm's pincers. He watched as Yang ran to save her sister who fired a round at the Grimm before retreating. To make matters worse, the Giant Nevermore that Ruby and Weiss had ridden in on was now moving in to attack them! It flapped its wings forward and fired numerous feathers at them, pinning Ruby to the ground and trapping Yang. _"Take your cloak off and leave it," _Kratos thought as he clenched the scroll hard enough that the sides started the crack! Ruby desperately tugged at her pinned cloak as the Death Stalker brought its stinger back and drove it forward, aiming right for her chest. _"No!"_ Kratos shouted inwardly.

Thankfully, however, he didn't have to watch his youngest daughter get impaled by the Grimm due to Weiss' last-second intervention. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief and looked at Ozpin who was looking back at him. "You know, Kratos, you do a good job at hiding your emotions. I was convinced you weren't worried about Ruby's safety. That is until I saw the cracked sides of your Scroll." Kratos ignored him and continued watching at Weiss helped Ruby get unpinned and they regrouped with everyone else.

"So, what are we going to do now," Jaune asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Our objective is right in front of us," Weiss answered.

Ruby agreed and said, "We need to grab an artifact and make it to the cliffs. There's absolutely no point in fighting these things."

Kratos agreed with Weiss and felt a hint of pride that Ruby had seemed to learn from her mistake and was now focusing on their objective. However, his mood was spoiled when Jaune said, "Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind." Yeah, essentially that's what they were doing, but the way he put it made him sound like a coward.

"I think it's time we left," Ren said as he watched the Death Stalker begin to break from the icy hold of Weiss' attack.

"Right, let's go," Ruby said as she took the lead ahead of the group.

Yang looked on with pride in her sister and when Blake asked what was wrong, she said, "Nothing," and ran to join up with the group.

"Sir, the group is on its way back to the Cliff. Should I get some Huntsmen ready to fight the Grimm," Glynda asked.

"No. They're Initiation is still underway and we can't interfere less fail."

"But, Sir..."

"He's right. Part of being a Huntsman is fighting Grimm no matter the size or classification. Besides, I want to see how they do as a team," Kratos inputted. Glynda looked at the two with an unsure expression before nodding and walking away.

"Glad to see we agree on something," Ozpin said with a smile.

"Agreeing with one another has nothing to do with this. You want me to train them? I need to know what they're capable of."

The Initiates ran to the cliffs and took cover behind some cracked pillars as the Giant Nevermore flew overhead and landed on a tower between them and their destination. It gave a shrill shriek that echoed throughout the ruins and shook some of the tower's foundations.

"We're never going to get anywhere with that Grimm in the way," Ren noted.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet and out of the forest came the angry Death Stalker, shrieking and pinching its claws at the group. "Oh you've got to be kidding me," Jaune yelled as he and the others ran away.

"Nora, distract it," Ren shouted as the two ran from their cover. Nora jumped and dodged the Nevermor's feather attack before rolling to safety and aiming her hammer turned grenade launcher at the flying Grimm. With a gleeful laugh, she began firing grenades at the Nevermore and continued doing so well after it had left its spot on the tower. As pink smoke filled the air Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune all made their way to the bridge while Ren, Blake, and Weiss stayed behind to protect Nora from the Death Stalker that had been creeping up to her. Ren and Blake parried its pincers away from her while Wiess formed a white glyph under her and Nora and jumped away from the Grimm to safety.

The sounds of the Nevermore combined with the explosion's from Nora's weapon echoed through the air and reached the top of the cliff where Kratos, Ozpin, and Glynda stood and watched on their Scrolls as the Initiates split up and worked briefly as a team. "Hmm, a little rough but overall not bat," Ozpin said and looked at Kratos.

"Hmph, it could always be better. For instance, Ren could have taken that time to destroy its eyes. Weiss could have frozen it then Nora could've hit it with her hammer."

"Have you ever fought a Death Stalker," Glynda asked. Kratos said no and she continued. "Well, it's carapace is stronger than steel. Their weapons would never be able to pierce through it. I mean you saw how Ruby's blade bounced off it. It's impossible."

"Everything has a weakness even something with "stronger than steel" armor. The spaces between its plates, it's eyes, it's underbelly and those are just to name a few."

"How would you know if you've never fought one before," Glynda asked.

"Just look at how it attacks and defends. While attacking it uses its pincers and never it's tail save for that one time with Ruby and what happened? Weiss froze it and its underside was left vulnerable. An experienced Huntsman would have taken that opportunity to kill it then and there. It seems to have learned its lesson and is refraining from using its tail. As for defense, it uses its pincers as a shield to protect what is vulnerable which would be its eyes and face." As he says this, the Death Stalker on-screen tried to use its tail again only for it to fail once more. Glynda smirked at Kratos who said, "Then again even I can overlook things. Like how I said this Grimm had learned its lesson. It hadn't.

Impressed, Ozpin asked, "And you got all that information just by watching them fight it?"

"I said I no longer fight. That doesn't mean I don't observe and understand my enemies." Kratos left it at that and went back to the Scroll which showed that the bridge had been damaged and the group was now separated into two groups. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were fighting the Nevermore while Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren fought the Death Stalker. "And by observation, I can tell you that this battle is over." Not long after Kratos said this, Nora hammered the Death Stalker's severed stinger deep into its head. The power of the impact was enough to break the bridge loose and send its corpse falling into the abyss below and following behind it was the Nevermore. Ruby, with the help of Weiss, ran up the side of the cliff, dragging the Grimm behind her before decapitating it at the top. She landed gracefully and turned to look down at her friends with a victorious smile.

Kratos put away his Scroll and turned to leave. "Kratos? Where are you going," Ozpin asked.

"I have seen what I need to see. Now, I am leaving to prepare for tomorrow."

"But we still have a few more students out there," Glynda argued.

"I do not wish to sit here and watch every child run around looking for game pieces. I have seen my daughters and that is all I have come here to do. Send me the feeds of the rest and I'll go over them." With that, Kratos left to return to his room and began coming up with different exercises and routines a lot of which were very reminiscent of his Spartan training though less violent. Later in the evening, he got the video feeds of the rest of the students plus the team names and leaders. One could imagine the shock on his face when he learned his daughter was the leader of her team, just like her mother. One could imagine an even bigger shocked expression when he learned that JAUNE of all people was a leader. "This is going to be a long year."

**And with that, we come to the end of the chapter. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. This chapter is a lot longer than previous ones but just know that not all chapters will be this long. I did it A.) as a Christmas gift to you guys since you enjoy the story and B.) because it's a major event. I will be doing long chapters for future major events, like the fall of Beacon which I may throw in an alternate route that I think you all are going to love. With that said, a spoilerish question/task for you guys. Can anyone tell me if Kratos can change the fates of those around him? I've been researching his abilities and can't seem to find it anywhere but I distinctly remember, in GoW 2 I think, that he was able to change the fates of those around him since he is no longer bound by fate itself. I don't know, maybe he can't but I can't seem to get it out of my head. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**What's up everyone and welcome to chapter 5 of God of War: Remnant. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter and hope you enjoy this one as well. As for everyone worrying about whether or not other Gods from other mythologies are going to be in this story, the short answer is no. There will NOT be any other mythological Gods in this story. Meaning, no Bauldr or Thor or Odin. However, I may have the Brother Gods get involved at some point but whether or not they will be as enemies to Kratos I haven't decided yet. But anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and sorry for the wait.**

Ruby and the others sat amongst their fellow students in the training hall after receiving an email from Ozpin for all first and second-year students to meet there. "Do you know what this is all about," Ruby asked Weiss.

"Its to introduce the new Instructor obviously," the Schnee said.

"What kind of person do you think this new Instructor will be like," Jaune asked.

"I don't care so long as they know what they're doing," Yang commented.

"What's up with her," Nora asked.

Ruby gave a small chuckle and said, "Oh nothing. She just has a high standard when it comes to training."

Just then, Glynda Goodwitch walked out in front of the students and cleared her throat to get their attention. "Good morning students. I thank you all for taking the time to gather here on such short notice as I'm sure a lot of you are eager to start your new year. I'm sure you have all heard the rumors about a new teacher. Well, let me put those rumors to rest for they are true. Starting today, the first and second-year students will begin their training under a new teacher." The doors to the training hall opened and in walked a male figurer. He was an older man, older than Ozpin, tall, anywhere between six to seven feet, had a bald head and a full, black beard with some grey hairs, pale skin, a nasty scar on his right eye and a bigger one on his abdomen, and a faded out red tattoo that covered a good portion of the left side of his torso and ended at his eye. He wore a leather shoulder guard with a black fur pelt covering his back, a leather waist guard over black fur trousers, bandages with dried up blood on his forearms, and leather boots all of which were well used and worn out. "Ah, here he is now. Everyone, I'd like to introduce," the male took up a spot next to Glynda, "Kratos." Ruby and Yang gasped in shock at seeing their father standing before them.

**(A little time later)**

Kratos stood out in the hall as the students filed out of the Training Hall and headed toward their morning classes, some of them giving him nervous looks due to his intimidating features. "Dad," a voice yelled out. Kratos turned toward the voice and was taken by surprise by his two smiling daughters who hugged him on either side. "What are you doing here," Yang asked.

Kratos responded by placing a hand on their shoulders and gently pushing them back. "I'm the new Combat Instructor and Teacher."

"Well yeah, we kind of caught that, but why," Ruby asked. "You said you'd never come anywhere near this place."

He could have told her that he did it so that she could fulfill her dreams of becoming a Huntress but instead he went with, "Things changed." The bell then rang and he said, "Go. Time for you both to get to classes." The two girls nodded their heads in agreement and gave their father a final hug before rejoining with their team and headed toward class. Kratos watched them go before turning and entering into the Training Hall where he was greeted by his first class, a class of second-years. "Alright, let's get this over with."

**(Transition)**

"Monsters, fiends, creatures of the night. The Grimm has many names, but I prefer to use the term 'prey'." The classroom fell silent save for a lone grasshopper chirping from somewhere in the room. "Err, and in time you will too." Peter Port, the academy's Grimm Studies Professor, was a man in early old age with gray hair with a matching mustache and appeared to be slightly overweight. He wore a dark red double-breasted suit with golden accents, matching pants that were tucked into olive cavalry boots. "Now, as I was saying." He began to walk back in forth in front of the class. "The four kingdoms are safe havens in a treacherous world. Our planet is abundant of creatures that would love nothing more than to tear every one of you limb from limb."

"Hope he's going somewhere with this," Yang whispered as Port continued to speak.

"Huntsmen, Huntresses," he winks and clicks his tongue toward Yang who chuckles nervously all while thinking _'My father would rip you apart.' _"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who can not protect themselves. From what you may ask. Why from the very world!"

A boy in the back shouts, "Yeah!" His outburst gets everyone's attention and he goes back to laying his head down.

"That is what you are aiming to become. But first, a story. A tale of a young handsome man. Me. When I was a boy I..." Weiss was doing her best to listen to her professor but was getting distracted by Ruby scribbling on a piece of paper. "Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man." Ruby began to snicker at herself before pulling up what she was doodling. It was a picture of a smelly and round Professor Port. She blew a raspberry before her and her sister began to laugh loudly. Port cleared his throat to get their attention before finishing his story and ending with a bow. "Now, who among you believe that they possess the traits to become a Huntsman."

An angry Weiss raised her hand and shouted, "I do Sir!"

"Hmm, well then, let's find out shall we?" Port turned to a cage that held a Boartusk before saying, "Step forward Shnee and face your opponent.

Weiss changed into her Huntress gear and stepped up to fight. "Go, Weiss," Yang shouted.

"Fight well," Blake cheered with an RWBY flag.

"Yeah, represent team RWBY," Ruby said.

"Ruby shut it, I'm trying to focus," Weiss snapped to which the young girl replied with an apology and a nervous smile.

"Alright, let the fight begin," Port said before slamming his weapon, a bladed blunderbuss, on the cages lock and releasing the Grimm inside.

It glared at Wiess and charged in to attack, but the Schnee was easily able to dodge and counter with a slice across its side. But the attack did nothing and only seemed to further anger it. "Hang in there Weiss," Ruby shouted. Weiss and the Boartusk charged each other but the Grimm deflected her weapon and trapped it between its curved tusks.

"Oh ho, a new approach? I like it," Port said, obviously unaware of the imminent danger the girl was in.

"Come on Weiss, show it whose boss," Ruby encouraged but this distracted her friend enough to allow the Grimm to disarm and throw her across the room.

Port chuckled and said, "Now what will you do without your weapon."

Weiss groaned and looked up in time to see the Boartusk charging her and narrowly dodged before scrambling to get her weapon. But, she wasn't quick enough and the Grimm slammed itself into her back, sending her into the far wall and onto the ground. "Weiss, look out," Ruby shouted as the Grimm charged at her again looking to pummel her to death. But the Schnee wasn't able to move in time and Professor Port appeared to be fumbling with his weapon. Weiss curled up and awaited the impact but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw Kratos standing in front of her with the Boartusk being lifted off the ground by its tusk with one hand.

**So, this is kind of a weird place to end, but I wrote onward and couldn't find a better place than this. I know I could have just written on, but if I did that then it would've been way longer. So, I'm deciding the make this a two-part chapter. After the next chapter, there will be a tad bit of a time skip but not that much. Maybe a month or so but not that much.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Dad," Ruby and Yang said, both shocked and confused by his sudden appearance. With a small gunt, Kratos slammed the Grimm on the ground and gripped its other tusk. Then with a single, quick motion, he snapped its neck and killed it.

Weiss looked at the evaporating corpse of the Grimm before noticing a hand being extended by Ruby. With anger in her eyes, she pushed the girl's hand away and got up. "I don't need any more of _your_ help." Just then, the bell rang and the Schnee stormed out of the room.

"What's her deal," Yang asked.

Professor Port breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his weapon as his students packed their things and headed for their next class, some shaken up by what had transpired. The professor walked up to Kratos and extended a hand. "Many thanks, Mr..." he waited for a name.

Kratos ignored his outstretched hand and said, "Kratos."

As the former God turned toward his daughters, Port said, "Ah, you must be the new instructor? Well, I should thank you for stepping in and saving young Schnee."

"Someone had to and it was obvious that you weren't going to make it in time."

Port grew red with embarrassment at the blunt, yet accurate, statement. He coughed and said, "Yes well may I ask what you were doing here in the first place? Not that I'm not thankful."

"Yeah, weren't you supposed to start your new class," Yang asked.

"My class let out early."

"Why," Ruby asked. **(Transition to Kratos' first class who were either laid out on the floor unconscious or exhausted.) **"Ah."

"In any case, how about you leave the combat training to me," Kratos suggested. "Weiss wasn't ready for this fight."

"Excuse me, but I have been teaching students for years now. I think I know when and if the students I teach are ready," Port argued.

"Except Weiss didn't know that the belly of a Boarbatusk was its weakness. She let herself get distracted by her surroundings and was overconfident in her abilities. She was not ready for this kind of Grimm."

"Well, I never," Port said as Kratos turned his back to him. "I'll have you know that I will be taking this to Professor Ozpin directly."

"See if I care." He stepped up to his youngest and said, "And as for you, I expected more from a leader."

"Huh?"

"You did little to help your teammate and that nearly cost her her life." Kratos then quickly switched from teacher to father as he grabbed her doodle and crumbled it. "I had better not see you doodling in class again. Have I made myself clear?"

Ruby's face falls with sadness and disappointment at herself. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

Kratos' face softened up a bit at seeing his daughter's saddened look and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Keep your head on a swivel Ruby. Do not be sorry for this mistake. Learn from it and be better." He lifts his hand from her shoulder and begins to walk away, and as he passes by Yang, he asks, "What's your excuse?" hinting at her lack of action to help her teammate. Yang remained silent as she knew that whatever she said wouldn't please him. Instead, she silently grabbed her and Ruby's stuff before beckoning for her sister to come along to their next class.

Meanwhile, as Kratos was walking back to start his next class, he encountered an angry Weiss who was standing on a balcony overlooking Beacon. Weiss noticed him said, "Oh, Professor..."

"Just Kratos will do," he said as he stepped up beside her with crossed arms, overlooking the Academy as well.

"Oh, ok," she said. It was unorthodox for a student to refer to a teacher only by their name but Weiss didn't question him. "You're Ruby's father, right? Can I ask you something?" Kratos answered with a grunt and Weiss continued. "Do you think Ruby is capable of being a leader?"

"Ruby is young and naive," Kratos answered. "She doesn't know how the world works nor the dangers of being a Huntress. She believes it to be little more than a romantic fairytale come true for her."

"Exactly! She doesn't have what it takes to be a leader. It should have been me!"

"On that, we both heavily disagree."

Hearing him disagree with her after saying something she completely agreed with stunted Weiss. "Excuse me?!"

"While what I said about my daughter is true, I do not believe you would be a better leader. I'd even choose that idiot Jaune to be a leader over you."

"How dare you. I'm far more qualified than that dunce!"

"Tell me, Weiss, what makes you think you could be a better leader than Ruby?"

"I'm a far more exceptional fighter than her."

"Your skills on the battlefield are noteworthy, but they are rivaled only by your lack of discipline and humility." Before Weiss could counter him, Kratos continued with, "You've spent your entire life getting what you wanted, but now you're surrounded by people who will not give in to your demands so easily, and that burns you up inside."

"That's not even remotely true," Weiss said with crossed arms. "Well, not entirely true." Her arms fell as Kratos' words rang true within her mind.

Her face began to fall as he continued, "Being a leader is far more than a title. Its a burden, and a heavy one at that, that one must carry on their own. People look to them for guidance, and it is up to them to lead. They must take on the weight of making hard decisions and live forever with the consequences of their actions, whether good or bad."

"Yeah, but..."

"The outcome may not have been to your liking, but do you think your attitude will change anything? That acting stuck up and full of yourself will turn the tide? Because if so, then you're better off trying to stop the sun from setting."

"Maybe...maybe you're right," she said with hesitation.

"Perhaps instead of whining over what you don't have, embrace what you do. Become a better warrior, hone your abilities so that you can assist your team and those around you, and help mold Ruby to become the best leader that _she _can be, and in turn, become the best Huntress that _you _can be."

Weiss looked down and gave a small nod, "I will...think about what you have said, Sir." Kratos grunted in response, and when the bell rang, he motioned for her to get going.

Weiss turned and made her way to class, and when Kratos was sure that she had left, he said, "If you're going to hide in the shadows, learn to mask your presence."

Ozpin stepped out from the shadows and said, "I wasn't trying to hide from anyone. I just didn't want to interrupt you and Ms. Schnee's conversation which, if I may add was quite inspirational. I think you may have gotten through to her. Quite a feat for your first day."

Kratos scoffed and turned toward him and said, "Whether she takes my advice or not doesn't concern me. But I will not have some snotnosed brat interfering with the progress of my child."

"Understood, but do try to remember that you promised to train all the students equally."

Kratos walked past him and said, "I know what I promised, but my priorities are Ruby and Yang."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes at the back of the former God's head and said, "Just try not causing your students to pass out again. They have other classes too." He watched Kratos leave before heaving a sigh and looking out over his school. Did he make the right choice? Should he just tell Kratos what was really going on? What if he found out? What if they weren't ready in time? There had to be another way to...no. This was the hand he was dealt by fate. He would have to make this work to his advantage, or all life on Remnant would cease to exist. With one last, determined look at Beacon, he turned his back on the warm sun and entered the cold shadows of his Academy.

**(Meanwhile in the Land of Grimm)**

**"The Marked Man has begun training Ozpin's students," **a figure shrouded in mist with glowing red eyes spoke in a low demonic like voice as they stood at the far end of a room.

A pale white woman with blood-red irises and black sclera sat at the end of a long table ambushed on either side by chairs filled with a body. "He is a washed-up old man who hasn't wielded a weapon in ages. Is he that much of a concern at the moment?"

**"Our Lord finds him to be a concern, and that makes it your concern as well."**

"What our Lord finds to be a problem is of no concern of mi..." Before she could finish her statement, she began choking and grasping at her throat as she is lifted by an unseen force. Those sitting at the table jump up and brandish their weapons to defend their leader, but before they could make a move they are tossed aside like ragdolls and held against the walls.

**"You forget your place, Salem. Do not forget that it is our Lord who allows you to continue your feeble existence. It is he who will allow you your revenge on the Brother Gods. Do not forget this."**

Salem and the others are released, and they fall to the ground. Salem glares at the misty form while rubbing her throat and asks, "What is thy master's bidding?"

**"You will continue your quest to secure the Maiden's powers and the Relics hidden within the four kingdoms. As for the Marked Man," **the doors behind the misty figure swing open and before them stood seven cloaked figures. **"Leave him to me."**

**That about wraps this chapter up. Who are the mysterious man and the seven who follow him? Questions that will be answered in the coming chapters. The next chapter will be RWBY's first training session with Kratos so look forward to it. Also, yes, I could have just added all three of these into one big chapter but with everything going on recently, I just wanted to try and get them out as quickly as possible. The reason the last chapter was so short despite taking so long is because there was a death in my friend's family and I just wanted you guys to know that I was still here and still writing. But, with all that said and done, I'm back to writing and hope to get more chapter's out in the future. P.S. I've seen the last episode of Season 7 RWBY and know exactly how I want Kratos to get his Blades of Chaos back. Also, this story isn't going to be viciously as long as some of you have been asking. It's by no means going to be a short story but it's not going to be a hundred chapter story, or at least not how I'm envisioning it. Who knows, it might end up being a hundred but I don't see it that way. With that said, this story isn't exactly going to fully follow the show. Yes, they're still going to get the Relic of Knowledge from Haven and will go to Atlas but events leading up to this will be different. So, get ready. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and until next time. See ya!**


	7. Clearing Up Some Confusion

**Before moving on to the next chapter, which is in development as you are reading this, I want to answer some questions that I've been asked several times and it seems like a few of you are confused which is completely my fault for I should be a little more clear about things.  
**

**Before coming to Remnant, Kratos walked the Greek realm for at least a hundred years which is why he's older; I don't remember how long it was stated that he walked the earth for after GoW 3. He was found by team STRQ and helped them out here and there with a few missions, but he eventually settled down, put away his blades, and married Raven. Shortly after having Yang, however, Raven left them, and Kratos hasn't seen nor heard from her since. A little over a year later, Kratos married Summer, and nine months later, Ruby is born (Yay). But shortly after the birth of their newborn daughter, Summer was killed on a mission that she was sent on by Ozpin. We know that Salem, as stated in Volume 7, killed Summer, but Kratos DOES NOT KNOW THIS. Kratos doesn't fully blame Ozpin, but he doesn't trust him, which is why he was hesitant to allow Ruby to go to his school. This is also the reason Kratos decided to teach at his school so that he could keep an eye on Ruby and Yang.**

**Kratos' attitude is similar to his GoW 4 variation except he's a little more lenient with Ruby, more so than with Yang. He knows that she is part God, and he resents that side of her. He sees too much of himself in her and fears that she will become like him, and that's the last thing he wants for Yang. Like with Atreus, Kratos wants her to be better.**

**Speaking of Yang, she's been altered as well. Her last name is not Xiao Long, but instead Branwen, taking on her mother's last name (mainly because I don't think Kratos has a last name). She has black hair, like Raven, instead of blonde, and her semblance is similar to Kratos' Godly powers. I call it Maiden's Rage. There haven't been any changes made to Ruby.**

**A few other things: Kratos has encountered the Grimm, and during the early lives of Yang and Ruby, he preferred they fight them for training.**

**Kratos knows the history of Remnant, about Dust, Aura, Semblances, Grimm, Faunus and even the Brother Gods, who he dismisses as being real due to a lack of their presence.**

**Kratos doesn't use a weapon.**

**Yes, Tai Yang is still in the story and will be introduced later on. He doesn't like Kratos, however, and blames him for the disappearance of Raven and the death of Summer. He helped with Ruby and Yang's training and is a little protective over them.**

**Yes, Qrow is in the story (and when I write his dialogue I will be imagining Vic's Qrow saying it instead of whoever voices him now). No, he doesn't dislike Kratos and does not blame him for Summer's death. He is the closest thing to a brother that Kratos has ever had (yes Deimos is canon, and he is Kratos' brother, but he was also captured for years, and Kratos thought he had died. I still think Atreus should have been named Deimos) even if Kratos doesn't show it.**

**Nobody knows that Kratos is a former God EXCEPT for a very small number of people, like 2 or 3. No, Ozpin is not one of them.**

**No, Kratos doesn't have any of his former abilities i.e. Zeus' Fury, Blade of Olympus, or Helios' Head. Although with that said, I MIGHT give him a semblance that allows him to use those abilities along with his Spartan's Rage. Speaking of which, yes Kratos still has Spartan's Rage.**

**No, Kratos may not go all out in this story. I might have him do it at the end just to show people how powerful he is but against Salem and these new enemies, no. So don't freak out if you see one of these enemies punt Kratos through a wall or punch him in the gut hard enough to cause him to cough up blood. Just like in GoW 4 he's not fighting seriously, but also like in GoW 4, he's never going to really lose either. Speaking of which, yes, these new enemies ARE going to be the OC God's that I was talking about making in one of the previous chapters. I've been thinking about basing them off of the Seven Deadly Sins (no, not the anime either) so let me know what you guys think.**

**No, there will not be any Gods from the other Games EXCEPT for Athena since she was in GoW 4 and I'm pretty sure she wasn't there physically. I think she was just an illusion created by Kratos' mind because after he retrieves his Blades of Chaos, she vanishes and never shows up again.**

**Anyway, that about wraps this all up. I hope I answered all the questions that you guys have or had and if there are any more, let me know. As I said, the next chapter will be up soon so look forward to it. P.S. you guys DO NOT have to react to this upload whatsoever. This is merely to clear up some confusion.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everybody, and welcome back to GoW: Remnant. Before we begin, let me clear up another confusion that I forgot to mention. Yes, Ruby is a God, but Kratos doesn't know it because she, unlike Yang, hasn't demonstrated any Godly abilities. Kratos believes that his genes skipped Ruby. Now, let's jump right in!**

Jaune gave a battle cry as he swung his sword at Kratos, aiming for his head but missing completely. "Pathetic," Kratos shouted, "again!" Jaune lifted his sword and swung it clumsily at his chest before attempting a thrust. Kratos harshly smacked the boy's hand, redirecting the sword safely away from him before giving a swift, firm smack to the back of his head. The strike sent the boy tumbling to the ground where he lay, exhausted and sore. "You're not ready," Kratos growled as the young boy slowly sat up. "Go sit and ponder on your loss." With a defeated look and hung head, Jaune made his way back to his seat only to trip over Cardin, who purposely stuck his foot out. The boy and his team laughed, but it was quickly quelled by Kratos who shouted at the boys to quiet down. The old God then looked upon his class and sighed. It had been a little over a week since he began training them, and only a hand full of them had shown true progress.

_"Alright, listen up cause I'm only saying this once. From now on, when in my class, you will speak only when spoken to or when prompted to do so. I do not care about where you come from or who you are. I do not care if you are Human or Faunus; if you are blue, black, green, red, or orange. I don't care if you have horns coming out of your head or a tail coming out of you back. To me, you're all the same. Brats playing at being Huntsmen."_

"Cardin, you're next," Kratos stated, beckoning him over. The boy stood up and grabbed his weapon. He then turned toward Jaune and said, "Watch how a _real_ warrior fights, Jauney Boy."

"Your skills aren't anything to brag about either, boy," Kratos growled as he waited for Cardin to get ready.

"With all due respect, _sir, _I'm way above that loser in every aspect."

"Then, let us see if your boasting holds some weight." Kratos readied himself and said, "Come at me as if you were trying to kill me!" Cardin grinned as he lifted his mace up and over his head. He then charged at the old God and swung it down at his head. Kratos easily sidestepped the attack before delivered a hard punch to the boy's gut, sending him crumbling to his knees. Kratos turned toward his class to address them. "Overconfidence in one's abilities will almost always lead to their downfall. Never underestimate your enemy and never overestimate yourself." Just then, the bell rang and the timing couldn't be more perfect for as soon as it did, Glynda Goodwitch entered the building with a frustrated look. Kratos said to his class, "Learn from today's instructions and continue your training. I will test you all again next week. Dismissed." With that, he turned his attention to Glynda. "What do you want Goodwitch?"

"Kratos," Glynda greeted, "I've been receiving complaints about your training methods." She saw Cardin slowly pick himself up and said, "I can see that those complaints hold some merit."

"Are you here for a reason?"

"You can't keep hitting and injuring the students, Kratos. We are a school, not a military."

"We are training warriors are we not," Kratos asked, clearly getting annoyed with the older woman.

"They are children, not men."

"Don't give me that, Goodwitch. They stopped being children the moment you signed them up to fight your war." The two stared each other down before he continued with, "Do not forget why I'm here. I'm only doing this to keep an eye on my daughters and their progress. Nothing more."

Glynda sighed and said, "This isn't why I'm here. Ozpin wanted to see you."

"What for?"

"I don't know, but he said you'd be interested."

**(Transition)**

"I'm glad you're here, Kratos," Ozpin said as the old God and Glynda entered his office.

"Goodwitch said you had something that might interest me. So, make this quick."

"Very well," Ozpin cleared his throat and pulled out his Scroll. "We've gotten reports from the town of Kirkwall. They've been having Grimm trouble."

"I told you, I'm not hunting Grimm."

"I'm not asking you to, but I know you've been wanting your students to experience real combat."

Kratos took a moment to decide before answering with, "Very well. But I can't take everyone. I'll only take three teams. RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL will do. We leave in the morning." With that, Kratos turned and began walking away.

"Very well. Oh, and Kratos." The old God turned his head. "Be careful. Townspeople have turned up missing without a trace. We believe it might be a new type of Grimm."

Kratos turned to the Headmaster, now realizing why Ozpin brought this to his attention. "So, this was just a ploy to get information on a possible new Grimm?"

"No, not entirely. You are the Combat Instructor so if you believe that first-hand experience will help them to become better Huntsmen, then I fully support you. But, this is also an opportunity to see if we are dealing with any new Grimm.."

Kratos glared at the man before saying, "Be straight forward next time. I don't like wasting my time on meaningless tasks." With that, he turned and left the Headmaster's office.

Ozpin gave an angry growl when Kratos left and said, "I really hate that man."

"Then why do we put up with him, sir," Glynda asked.

"Because he's all we've got."

**(Transition)**

"So, why are we all here again," Weiss asked as JNPR, CRDL, and her team gathered in the Training Hall.

"No idea," Yang answered. "Dad just told us to meet him here."

"Maybe he wants to discuss our progress," Sky Lark, a member of Team CRDL, offered.

Ruby shook her head and said, "I doubt it. Dad wouldn't waste his time telling us in private how bad we were doing. He'd just flat out say it."

"Well, there's no point in speculating," Ren said.

"And you are correct," Kratos said, standing in the doorway and looking as intimidating as always.

"Father," Yang greeted as her dad made his way toward them.

"Have a seat, all of you." He waited for his students to do so before saying, "I called you all here because we have an important assignment. As you know, I've been wanting to see how some of you do in a real combat situation. Well, that time has come." The students looked between one another before turning their attention back to their teacher. "A town called Kirkwall has been having some trouble with Grimm. They've asked for our assistance. So, we'll be leaving in the morning."

"Finally," Cardin said, cracking his knuckles, "I get to kick some Grimm ass."

"Are you sure about this, sir," Jaune asked nervously. "I mean, we've only been here for little more than a week."

"Heh, leave it to Jauney Boy to wimp out."

"You'll have nothing to worry about as long as you listen to my instructions and remember your training. Besides, it's only supposed to be a few Beowolves. So, nothing special."

"Don't worry Jaune," Nora said, giving the boy's back a hard slap. "We've got your back."

"Thanks, Nora," Jaune groaned painfully.

Yang looked at her father and asked, "That's not all, is it?"

"No," Kratos said, getting his student's attention again. "There have been reports of townspeople going missing. Ozpin wants us to discover the cause of this mystery."

"He suspects a Grimm," Pyrrha asked.

Kratos nodded before saying, "I, on the other hand, think its because people don't wish to live in a town that's constantly under attack. In the end, it doesn't matter. Our goal is the same. Wipe out the Grimm attacking Kirkwall. Understood?" He received confirmation from his students before dismissing them.

**I know it'd been a little bit but with this new virus spreading around, it hit my city now, things have been a bit hectic. However, I am taking the necessary precautions and staying along with washing my hands and keeping said hands away from my face and nose. I'm doing fine and I sincerely hope you all are as well. I'm going to try to get these out faster so that you guys can have something to read while stuck in your homes. Stay safe out there and if you think you're getting sick then please self-quarantine or try to get to a doctor. Stay safe and be smart. We're going to get through this.**


	9. Chapter 9

**NEXT CHAPTER! Also, read till the end cause I'm going to be commenting on some reviews.**

"How much longer," Jaune asked as he, and the others, trekked along the long dirt road toward Kirkwall. They had left incredibly early in the morning, and now the harsh sun was high in the sky.

"If all goes well, we'll be there by this time tomorrow," Kratos said.

"What?! Why didn't we just take a Bulkhead," Dove asked.

"Stop dwelling on the length of the journey! One day you may have to walk further than this, so take this as part of your endurance training!" The group grew quiet as they continued to make their way down the dirt road. After a few more minutes of walking, they came upon a clearing to rest. "We will rest here." Kratos sat down and leaned against a tree as the rest of his students chose a spot and collapsed.

Yang walked up to her father and asked, "Are you sure this is wise, father? We still have a lot of ground to cover."

"Which is why we are resting. It will do us no good if everyone is too exhausted to defend themselves against a Grimm."

"You think we'll encounter Grimm on the way," Blake asked.

"It is not out of the realm of possibility. Regardless, keep your guard up and be ready for anything."

"I heard highwaymen have been robbing people going to Kirkwall," Weiss chimed in.

"If we encounter people, let me deal with them. None of you are to get involved."

The group nodded their heads in understanding before another blanket of silence laid on them. It lasted for a few minutes before Pyrrha asked, "So, Kratos, tell us something about yourself."

"For what purpose?"

"Well, you are our teacher."

"And?"

"And it would be beneficial for us to know who we are learning under."

Kratos looked at each of his students and saw interest etched on their faces, waiting to hear about their mysterious teacher. Even his daughters sat in eager curiosity as they had never really heard about their father's backstory. Kratos sighed and said, "Very well, ask your questions."

Pyrrha thought for a moment before asking, "Where are you from?"

"A land far from here."

"What's the land called?"

"Sparta. It's not a place you'd find on your maps."

Ruby chipped in with, "Why don't you ever use weapons?"

"I haven't wielded a weapon in a long time, Mikros."

"But why?"

"It's better that way."

Jaune raised his hand, as if he were in class, and asked, "What happened to Yang and Ruby's mom?"

Yang glared at Jaune, who gulped nervously and shrank into his armor. Kratos took a moment and said, "Enough questions. Save your energy." Kratos leaned his head against the tree and closed his eyes.

Yang and Ruby walked over to Jaune, who asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it wasn't you," Ruby answered. "Dad just doesn't like to talk about our moms."

"Why not," Nora asked.

"My mom left when I was about two or three years old and Ruby's mom, Summer passed away not long after Ruby was born," Yang explained. "Dad blames himself."

"Eh, I bet she ran off with someone less...ancient," Cardin remarked.

"What did you say, Cardin," Yang demanded as she angrily stomped up to him with burning red eyes.

"Hey, all I'm saying is..." Before he could finish his sentence, Yang's fist impacted against his face, sending him crashing to the ground. The rest of his team jumped to his defense but quickly found themselves outnumbered. Cardin rubbed his cheek and shouted, "What the hell, you crazy bitch!"

Yang pointed a trembling finger at him and growled, "Never speak of my mother like that. She is many things, a lot of which I don't like, but she would never do anything like that!" Yang then began to cough violently as her eyes reverted to their original, hazel brown color.

"That is enough, all of you," Kratos shouted. "Sit down, shut up, and rest!" The teams quickly did as they were told, not wanting to stir the wrath of their teacher. Kratos looked at Yang and said, "Come here." Yang walked to her father and sat down beside him. He placed a hand on her forehead and could feel her burning up. "_You _need to learn to quell your anger. It will one day be your undoing."

"But, Cardin said..."

"What Cardin says about Raven does not concern me. What does is your lack of self-control." There was a moment of silence between the two before Kratos said, "Go cool off and rest. We'll be moving on soon."

Yang angrily stood up and turned her back on Kratos. Before she walked away, however, she turned her head and said, "At least one of us has to act like we still care."

"Do you wish to repeat that, Yang?"

"No, sir!" Yang stomped away and sat down beside a tree, separating herself from everyone else.

Kratos gave a deep sigh and pulled out a necklace with a raven pendant along with a ring. He sat there and stared at the two items for what seemed like mere seconds until Ruby said, "Father, are we going to keep moving?"

"Hmm?" Kratos looked up to see everyone was rested and ready to go. Even Yang was cooled off and back to being her perky self. He looked at Ruby and nodded his head before standing up and pocketing the necklace. "Alright, let's keep moving. We'll be getting into Grimm territory, so be on your guard." The students grabbed their stuff and continued down the road. Kratos stopped Yang as she passed and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine, father," Yang said, a small hint of resentfulness on her tongue.

"I know you still feel bitter about her leaving. It may be hard to see it, but I too miss her."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

"You have your ways of dealing with your sorrow and anger. I have mine."

Yang walked away to catch up with the group, and as she did so, she turned on her heel and said, "Keeping it bottled up inside isn't a healthy alternative."

**(Sometime later)**

"Father," Ruby called out from the front of the group, having taken the lead to scout ahead.

"What is it?"

"People, up ahead at the crossroad to Kirkwall."

"Highway Men," Pyrrha asked.

"I'm not sure, but they're armed."

"We're in Grimm territory, so it would be foolish of them if they weren't. Nevertheless, I will handle them. You all keep quiet."

The students nodded as Kratos took the lead and walked up to the group of men. There were about ten of them, some were human and others Faunus and all had various arms and armor. One of the humans noticed them and waved them down. "Ho there, friends! What brings you 'ere on this fine evening?"

"We have business in Kirkwall. That is all you need to know."

The man tsked and said, "Ah, a bad shape that one's in. What with people getting dragged from their homes and the constant Grimm attacks. Unfortunately, the roads closed, so no one gets in."

"We're on a mission from Beacon. We're investigating the disappearances of the people there," Ruby spoke up.

"Ruby," Kratos said, hushing her instantly.

"Oh Huntsmen, are ya? Well, why didn't ya just say so, mate? Of course, you lot can pass. For a small price of ten thousand Lien."

"Ten thousand?! Are you insane," Yang shouted, getting right up to the man's face. "We're here to help, and you're trying to take advantage of us?"

"Whoa there, love. We're pricing everyone who's traveling both in and out of Kirkwall. Course, with you all being Huntsmen, you can afford a measly ten thousand."

"So, you're exploiting us being for Huntsmen," Blake asked. "That's low, even for Highwaymen."

"Ey, don't hate me for being smart. Besides, we all got families to feed too ya know."

Yang grabbed the man's throat and pulled her fist back. This action caused the other's around them to draw their weapons and aim them at the group. The man chuckled and said, "Easy there love. We don't want to be needing any bloodshed now, do we?"

"You're nothing more than a bunch of low-lives taking advantage of the weak!"

"Yang, enough!" Kratos grabbed his daughter's arm and yanked her back. "Have you forgotten so quickly what I said?"

"They're bandits. We should take care of them now and turn them over to the authorities!"

"What authorities?! We are hours from Vale and a whole day from Kirkwall!" Yang grows quiet. "Now, go! Collect yourself and hold your tongue until told otherwise."

Yang stormed off to the back of the group, where she angrily glared holes at the man. The bandit chuckled and said, "Gotta keep a short leash on that one, eh?"

Kratos glared at the man as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a bag of Lien. He tossed it into the man's chest and said, "You have your money, let us pass."

The man opened the small bag and checked the contents before smiling and saying, "Of course, mate. A deal's a deal after all." Kratos pushed passed the man and lead his group through the checkpoint, realizing that another five members were lying in wait in the trees and bushes. The man and his group eyed the students as they passed by with sinister grins.

As the group distanced themselves from the Highwaymen, Yang said, "We should've handled them instead of giving them all our money."

"If you think that I am foolish enough to only bring that amount of money with us, then you do not know me, child."

"I know we shouldn't have given in to their demands! We should've made it to where they can never prey on the weak again."

"Hold!" The group came to a stop as Kratos turned to them with anger etched on his face. "Let me make this abundantly clear to all of you! The next time I tell you to let me handle something, I expect you all to listen! Especially my daughters," He glared at Ruby and Yang. "We are not here on luxury! This is not a vacation or a field trip! We have a task at hand, a mission, that we have to see through if you are to become Huntsmen! Any little inconvenience can make things that much harder! So, either do as you are told, or I fail you right here, right now! Any questions or grievances with that?"

Ruby slowly raised her hand. "Dad...I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"Do not be sorry. Be better. This is why you must think before acting. That goes for every one of you. If you are to survive as a Huntsman, you MUST think things through before acting. There are consequences for EVERYTHING that you do! So, think. Use your head." With that, Kratos turned around, and continued down the road with the group slowly following behind. No one said a word till they settled down for camp that night. "Get some rest, all of you."

"Where are you going," Weiss asked as Kratos turned and entered further into the woods.

"For a walk." Kratos walked through the trees, getting further and further away from the group. Then, as fast as lightning, he dashed toward some bushes and grabbed hold of something. He then yanked back and hauled out a masked man with a look of terror in his eyes. "Who are you, and why have you been following us?"

"H..how did you..."

"I've been aware of your presence for some time now." He grabbed the mask and yanked it off, revealing that it was the same bandit from earlier. "Why follow us? I gave you what you asked."

"Unfortunately for you, mate, Lien isn't what we were interested in."

"You were sent to the crossroads to cut us off. Why and by who?"

The snapping of a twig caught Kratos' attention, and he soon found himself surrounded by bandits. "You're surrounded, old man."

"You do not want this fight," Kratos growled.

"Oh, I'm betting that we do. Now, why don't we...AHH!" Using one hand, Kratos lifted the man over his head and threw him at the closest bandit.

"You bastard!" A bandit charged him and thrust his knife at Kartos' midsection. The old God caught the man's hand and snapped his wrist before punching him into a tree. Two more charged him, one with an ax and the other with a sword, both of which were expertly, and non-lethally, dispatched.

"Who the hell is this old man," one of the bandits shouted as he opened fire on Kratos, but was shocked to see the bullets ricochet off his skin. "Nothing works!" The man was quickly rendered unconscious by a swift punch to the jaw.

"Take this," a bandit shouted from behind as he plunged a dagger into Kratos' skin only to watch, in horror, as the blade snapped in half. A nose breaking elbow staggered him, and a kick to the chest sent him crashing through a tree. The final bandit hesitated as he looked around at his fallen comrades before charging in. A second later, and he was lifted into the air by the throat and slammed into the ground.

When all was said and done, Kratos was the only one left standing. He looked at the first bandit, who was just now getting to his feet and grabbed him by the throat. "Now tell me, who are you working for?"

"Bite me, ass...GAK!" Kratos tightened his grip on the man's throat, causing him to gasp and cough for air.

"Talk!"

"Father?!" Kratos turned his head and saw the group rushing to him with weapons drawn. Yang looked around and saw the pile of unconscious bandits. "Whoa, looks like we missed one helluva party."

"I told you all to get some rest!"

"Well yeah, but when we heard the gunshots, we got worried," Ruby said as she stepped over the bodies.

"Hmph, whatever. Now talk!"

"ACK! Alright, alright! Ease up on my throat there, will ya?" Kratos loosened his grip and waited. "I don't know who they were." Kratos tightened his grip again. "ACK, come on now I'm telling the truth! I don't know who they were!" Kratos loosened again. "They wore hooded cloaks! I couldn't see em! One was a real big fella, didn't say much. The other was short, a bit shorter than you. Gave me the creeps that one. They told us who you were and where you were going. They wanted us to follow you and kidnap the children. We've never been into kidnappings, especially children, but when I refused, the bastards killed half my men in an instant. We had no choice!" Kratos grows silent as he releases the man's throat. He rubs his sore neck and says, "Look, mate, I don't know who these blokes were, but they had a lot of information on you. Told us to look for a man with a tattoo exactly like yours. Said you'd be traveling from Beacon to Kirkwall with students." The bandit looked at his men and chuckled. "Failed to mention that you were one helluva brawler. Listen, mate, I've no beef with you. I was just doing what I had to do to protect the rest of my men."

"I can understand wanting to protect your own," Kratos said.

"Right, well, I think we've had our share of getting our asses handed to us. Hows about letting us go, and you'll never have trouble from us again."

"Not much we can do with a bunch of bandits out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Thanks, mate." The bandit and his men began to leave the area. "Oh, and a word of caution, yeah? I haven't been to Kirkwall for some time so, I don't know what the situation is like there. But, if my hunch is correct, and it usually is, I'm betting that men looking for you have something to do with it. There's something unnatural about them so, watch your back."

The group walked back to camp, and when they all settled down, Yang asked, "So, we're being hunted? What do we do now?"

"The mission stands. We go to Kirkwall and help out where we can."

"And the ones who are looking for us?"

"If we encounter them, I will deal with them. Is that understood?" The group nodded, and after a few minutes of silence, everyone was passed out, all except Kratos. _'Who is it that is looking for me? The bandit said they described me perfectly. Have they found me after all this time?' _He looked at his daughters and thought, _'I have spent centuries without taking another soul. But, if it comes down to it, I will kill everyone and everything that threatens them. I will not fail again!' _With that thought, Kratos closed his eyes and fell into a slumber.

**And with that, we come to the end of this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but I'm in the process of moving and have been a tad bit sick. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it and excited for the next one. And yes, for those of you wondering, Kirkwall IS a reference to Dragon Age. Now, as for the future of this story, I'm probably going to be doing longer chapters, but shorter Arcs. What that means is doing all of volume 2 in 1-3 chapters so after this little arc, I'll be finishing the rest of volume 1 in 1 (maybe 2) chapters. So, look forward to that and I'll see you all in the next one!**


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